New York State voters oppose 80 - 16 percent a pay raise for state legislators. Opposition is
over 70 percent among every group and in every part of the state, except voters with household
income of more than $250,000, who oppose the pay raise 53 - 45 percent, according to a
Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Suggesting a pay raise for legislators as part of a deal to increase the minimum wage in
New York State is a bad idea, voters say 66 - 28 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-
uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Again, there is strong opposition from every group and in
every region.

Linking a legislative pay raise to a law limiting the size of campaign contributions also is
a bad idea, voters say 63 - 28 percent, with every group opposed by wide margins.

When asked, however, how often state legislators should get a pay raise:

3 percent say every year;

43 percent say every two to five years;

23 percent say every six to 10 years;

12 percent say less often;

10 percent say never.

"The talk in Albany says there'll be a legislative pay raise voted in a special session after
the election, but it doesn't look like a popular idea," said Maurice Carroll, director of the
Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

"Could there be a deal? Bigger legislative paychecks in exchange for some campaign-
finance reforms? How about buying some love for lawmakers by raising the minimum wage?
Voters want none of it. More than two out of three voters say state legislators should get a raise
every six to 10 years, or less, but Albany lawmakers haven't had a raise in 13 years.

"Lawmakers looking for a raise might want to get that message out to the voters."

Voters do not believe 80 - 15 percent, that raising legislators' pay will attract better
candidates for office. The Legislature gets a negative 31 - 51 percent approval rating, the best
score since a negative 32 - 50 percent rating in a February 17, 2009, Quinnipiac University poll.

Voters believe 75 - 17 percent that drilling will create jobs, with strong support among
all groups. But voters believe 53 - 12 percent that hydro-fracking will damage the environment.
Republicans say 31 - 27 percent it will cause damage, and all other groups strongly agree that
fracking will hurt the environment.

New York State voters support more than 2-1 raising federal income taxes on upper
income families:

29 percent support raising taxes on people with a household income of more than
$250,000 per year;

40 percent support a tax hike on people with a household income of more than $1 million
per year;

28 percent are opposed to any federal income tax hike.

Among voters with household income of more than $250,000 per year, 12 percent
support the $250,000 tax hike threshold, while 49 percent say set the mark at $1 million and 38
percent oppose any tax hike.

All voters reject 53 - 39 percent the argument that increasing taxes on people in
households making more than $250,000 will discourage small businesses from hiring.

New York State voters say 55 - 36 percent that the U.S. Congress should not try to repeal
the health care law.

From July 17 - 23, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,779 New York State voters with a
margin of error of +/- 2.3 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public
opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia
and the nation as a public service and for research.
For more data or RSS feed- http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, call (203) 582-5201, or
follow us on Twitter.

12. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the state legislature is handling its job?

19a. (Combined Q18 and Q19) Would you support or oppose a pay raise for members of the state legislature, who currently earn a base salary of $79,500 a year? IF SUPPORT: Do you think the base salary for members of the state legislature should be $100,000 a year, should be less than $100,000 a year, or should be more than $100,000 a year?

21. Suppose the state legislature agrees to limit the amount of campaign contributions they would be allowed to accept in exchange for an increase in their salaries. Do you think this deal would be a good idea or a bad idea?

24. Some people say there should be drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale because of the economic benefits. Others say there should not be drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale because of the environmental impact. Which comes closer to your point of view?

TREND: Some people say there should be drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale because of the economic benefits. Others say there should not be drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale because of the environmental impact. Which comes closer to your point of view?

28. Natural gas drilling companies want to practice hydro-fracking in New York State. Hydro-fracking is the process of pumping water and chemicals into the ground under high pressure to fracture rocks. This releases natural gas trapped in the rocks which is then collected. Do you think hydro-fracking will cause environmental damage or not, or don't you know?

TREND: Natural gas drilling companies want to practice hydro-fracking in New York State. Hydro-fracking is the process of pumping water and chemicals into the ground under high pressure to fracture rocks. This releases natural gas trapped in the rocks which is then collected. Do you think hydro-fracking will cause environmental damage or not, or don't you know?

29. Which would you prefer:
A) Raise federal income taxes on people with a household income of more than $250,000 per
year,
B) Raise federal income taxes on people with a household income of more than $1 million
per year, or
C) Don't raise federal income taxes on anyone?